I felt it!!

An 5.1 earthquake, which lasted about 5-seconds, took place at roughly 9:47am this Sunday morning. Its epicenter was in Ciudad Real but the shocks were felt here in Madrid and as far away as Valencia.

Here I was typing on my computer when its waves rocked our building back and forth. It wasn't very strong but I was certain it was an earthquake, never having felt one before, but from the movement's motion. (plus I have a Geology degree) So I threw on my clothes and opened the doorway to the building's stairway and stood there like an idiot for a few minutes, possibly expecting aftershocks earthquakes. They never came, thank goodness. And no damage to the building was immediately evident either.

Some people here thought it was an underground gasline explosion but MadridMan knew better. hehehe.... (so full of himself) Now I can proudly say (?? Proudly??) I've experienced my first authentic earthquake - and it was here in Madrid of all places on the world.

Any other Spaniards feel/experience it?

Read the El País article about it HERE . "Un seísmo de 5,1 sacude varias ciudades de España - El epicentro ha sido localizado en Ciudad Real.- La sacudida ha afectado a prácticamente todo el país"

Saludos, MadridMan

It seems that I was sleeping like a log. I didn't feel anything.

MadridMan

Congratulation living through your first Spanish Quake.

I guess you would have never guess when you move to Spain, you will experience an earthquake.

Bill

MadridMan,

I'm surprised you've never experienced an earthquake in Ohio. We've had a few tremors here in Michigan and it seems to me that they have all originated close to the Ohio/Michigan border.

The last good one I remember was the same January of the Shuttle disaster, so it's been a while ago. I was upstairs in my house during lunch and felt my house sway. Didn't like that one little bit.

I slept through an earhtquake in Wales once.

Has anyone on the board every experienced Californian earthquakes? I can tell you from many experienes with them, that they are NO fun and you absolutely know when the big ones come. Kind of feels like the end of the world (at least during those slow 20 or so seconds it takes to pass)....

I worked for insurance claims during the Northridge Earthquake of '94 and the damage was unfathomable. I think the scary part is you never know when they are going to happen.

Glad to hear there was no major damage from this Spanish tremor!

5.1 is not big anyway, needs to be over 6 to be big according to the experts. never had the experience and not looking forward to one either.
glad it was small.

laduque - you must have been reading my mind when you posted - I was in SF when the last big one sent the Bay Bridge into the bay -

Resident experts - and/or geologists -
Has there been any discussion about the need for buildng codes to be revised for earthquake prone areas or are tremors unusual enough in Spain so that this would not be an issue?

Being a lifelong resident of LA Ca. I have felt many quakes big and small. "Pedmar", a 5 pointer can be scary if your right over the epicenter, I've experienced it many times and depending on how far you are from the epicenter will determine the violent shaking and damage you might experience. The worst I've been scared was the Northridge Ca. quake which hit in the early AM just before dawn.
I understand that the earth at the epicenter lifted 25 feet and then just dropped. I ran out into my yard todo desnudo, and my huevos almost froze off in the cold.
Poor people in Peru, an 8 pointer ayer, valganse Dios!
A funny anecdote we here in LA Ca. tell (hope nobody gets offended). After the Northridge Ca earthquake in LA thousands of poor Mexicans and Latinos were so scared that they camped out in the city parks for over a month, the aftershocks kept coming,in the end the city had to practically force the Mexicano's out of the parks to get them to go home.
So the running joke is (and these are chistes nos mas), White people's worst fear is the fear of "poverty", Black people's worst fear is of Crazy people and rattlesnakes, Mexicans worst fear is of earthquakes,!
After the quake in LA the curandero's (healers) business was booming cause many Mexicano's from a rural background still believe in the sickness from "Susto" (fright) that came from the earthquake and could only be cured by a "curandero".
Quien Sabe?

Hey People,

I was sleeping back then so i didnt feel anything or maybe in my dream someone is shaking me or im doing something :p

Anyway, its not my first experience of a quake. The Philippines belongs to the earthquake belt i Asia. As far as i remember in 1990. I was in elementary school that time when the quake of high magnitude shook the whole building and all of the kids like me screaming.. even after that on the aftershock..

Thanks that it wasn't only 5 seconds last the quake here in Spain. What if it took more.. worst might happened.

Cheers!